Blade of the Immortal: Read it, dude.

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Blade of the Immortal: Read it, dude.

01/27/2011 9:45am

Not only is Blade of the Immortal one of the coolest manga series on the market today, it's also one of the longest-running. So it comes as no surprise that at twenty-three amazing volumes, the popularity of this series is stronger than ever. Here's Blade editor Philip Simon with more:

Dark Horse Manga’s Blade of the Immortal series—one of the longest-running manga series in the United States—is still going strong and delivering strange, violent action and interesting characters with grudges that seem to grow more complex with each riveting chapter.

With a new Blade volume available in stores NOW, it’s time to catch up with Rin, Manji, Anotsu, and the rest of creator Hiroaki Samura’s cracked, colorful cast of survivors. (And it’s high time you made your friends catch up with what’s possibly the strangest, goriest samurai revenge epic ever!)

While 2010 saw several Blade of the Immortal-related releases in stores (the jaw-dropping Art of Blade of the Immortal hardcover, with thirty-two extra pages exclusive to the Dark Horse edition, and the Blade of the Immortal: Legend of the Sword Demon “alternate reality” novel), this is the year to enjoy two new, “pure” Blade of the Immortal manga releases—one in January 2011 (yes, available NOW!) and one in September 2011.

The story foundation that Samura lays down in the early Blade of the Immortal volumes is insane, but fairly simple. In a nutshell, young Rin seeks revenge against the renegade sword school led by Anotsu, because he and his thugs crudely and callously murdered Rin’s parents on her fourteenth birthday. Rin is paired with the powerful and sullen ronin called Manji—who is immortal due to the mystical, regenerative kessen-chu bloodworms in his system—and Manji vows to protect and aid her in her quest for vengeance.

Readers of early volumes will admit that Manji steals the show right away, as his anachronistic speech and ungentlemanly behavior make him the perfect foil to the proper, driven, serious Rin. Little Rin tracks and identifies most of the members of Anotsu’s gang who are responsible for her pain, and Manji sloppily disposes of them. He’s a resilient, charming rogue. Along the way, though, brilliant writer/artist Samura has shown us that this monster of a manga series is just as much Rin’s show as it is tough-guy Manji’s.

When some readers were taken aback by the so-called “Prison Arc” story line (which runs through Blade of the Immortal Volumes 16 to 21, with Manji chained, drugged, and subjected to horrific experiments throughout most of his scenes), they could have failed to catch on to Samura-dono’s ultimate intent. The point was to focus on Rin and the strength of Samura’s female characters. Rin’s persistence, intelligence, and willpower now matches Manji’s, even if she’s still struggling to believe that herself. A sweet scene in Blade of the Immortal Volume 22 (after Rin has freed her beloved bodyguard) shows us just how perfect their odd pairing may prove to be in the future. Rin has grown, as all good fictional characters should, after successfully navigating through relentless, deadly trials on her own. She had to be separated from Manji to grow.

But, wait up—was there a Manji/Rin love scene in Blade of the Immortal Volume 22?! Mmmaybe . . . Well, it’s time for you to catch up and find out!

Was the “Prison Arc” the first time that Samura explored powerful female characters? No. Rin took center-stage in the “Road to Kaga” arc, too, where she actually befriends and helps Anotsu survive through an excruciating illness. (Just so she can kill him later when he’s back up to one hundred percent strength. How noble of her!) That story arc also takes its time, as it runs through Blade of the Immortal Volumes 8 to 14.

So Rin’s breakout role in the “Prison Arc” shouldn’t have been such a surprise—but it was! One girl causing such chaos in Edo Castle . . .? And was Rin acting alone? Who flooded the grisly prisons under Edo, and who freed scores of death row convicts in a confusing, bold escape plan? Yeah—you better catch up with your Blade reading, because that’s all OLD NEWS!

Now, with our latest volume, Samura is taking a more “back-to-basics” approach. Samura revs up the action and plot movement, while continuing to add greater depth to his characters. Manji’s free, but still looking for his stolen limb. Rin’s as driven as ever to follow Anotsu to the ends of the Earth, but Anotsu pulls a slick trick on her. Anotsu has invoked the ire of Edo Castle and all the warriors who protect it—yet he’s making plans to both flee and massacre the castle’s protectors, including the devious Habaki Kagimura! Heads up: in the September 2011 Blade of the Immortal Volume 24: Massacre release, the spiky-haired fan-favorite Magatsu steals the show in just a few humorous pages! Yes—fans should be excited about this year, as Blade of the Immortal gets back to delivering non-stop, harrowing hunts and gory, stomach-churning sword battles—along with the usual anachronistic humor and small moments of wonder and beauty.

With Blade of the Immortal (Mugen no Junin, as it’s known in Japan) nearing its conclusion in its home country, multiple plot threads, fascinating character relationships, crazy-complex grudges, old faces, and exotic new characters are all about to dovetail into one big, bloody, chaotic frenzy. When this series finally ends, it’s going out with quite a bang—and now’s the time to return and relish the masterful storytelling and artistic prowess of the one and only Hiroaki Samura! Welcome back!

Heba,

—Philip Simon, Blade of the Immortal editor

Click here for a preview of Blade of the Immortal Volume 23: Scarlet Swords..In stores now!